Thoughts on E3 2009 Microsoft Press Conference

Let me
begin by saying that I had very low expectations for what was going
to be shown at this years’ Microsoft Press Conference. I
already knew about HALO 3: ODST, FFXIII, Splinter Cell: Conviction,
Modern Warfare 2 and Alan Wake and, more than anything, I would have
been satisfied if all they did was show some gameplay. There were also
plenty of leaks and rumors going around the net, most notably about a
new motion camera, a Forzaannouncement, and the
ZUNE HD. Let’s just say that, after all was said and done, I got
more than what I expected. A LOT MORE!

I’ll begin with the games I was expecting to see. I am a HUGE
Splinter Cell fan and seeing actual gameplay of Conviction being
demoed was pure joy. The faster pace looks to be a welcome change, but
I like that you will still be able to play in the “old
school” way, with stealth being the main means of achieving your
goals. Plus, I love the whole revenge plot. Hopefully there is an
option to remove those large clues from the buildings. HALO 3: ODST
looked as awesome as I was expecting. I love the concept of looking
for clues throughout the campaign, eventually piecing the story
together. And “Firefight” looks to be my cup of tea, since
GOW2’s “Horde Mode” gets most of my multiplayer
gaming time. Both games will definitely be release-day purchases.

An
actual gameplay demo of Alan Wake was a pleasant surprise and it
looked fantastic. I was expecting it to be some sort of
“point-and-click” experience, but it looked more like a
Resident Evil game. Needless to say, I was very relieved. And of
course, there was Modern Warfare 2. What else is there to say except:
IT’S AWESOME! IT’S RADICAL! IT’S BOMBASTIC!
IT’S RIDONKULOUS! ME WANT NOW!

And then there
were the surprise games. On top of my list is HALO: Reach. The Fall
of Reach novel was so good, I read it twice, and now I get to play
it. Day 1 Purchase CONFIRMED! Next up was Crackdown 2. Loved the
first game, but I can wait on purchasing the next iteration. There
are just way too many games coming out, I don’t think my
wallet can handle it. The Metal Gear Rising announcement was a
shocker, but I’ll wait until more info is released before I
get excited. But it was definitely nice to see Kojima-san on stage at
a Microsoft Conference. Playstation Fanboys around the world must have
had simultaneous heart attacks, crapped their pants, and wept with
sadness when that familiar Metal Gear alert sound hit the Microsoft
stage. My only WTF moment was when the Left 4 Dead 2 trailer was
shown. I expected maybe an add-on expansion pack for the original, but
an entirely new sequel? I think it’s just too soon. But,
I’m sure it will sell a ton of copies.

Now on to XBOX
LIVE. Facebook and Twitter are the only two social networks I use,
so it should come as no surprise to anyone how I reacted when they
were announced: “OMFG!” What a great addition to XBL.
Live Party sounds pretty cool (though I never really used this
function), and last.fm streaming radio was a nice touch. But what
got me excited was earning clothes for my avatar by playing upcoming
games. Paying for avatar clothing?,... hmmm… not so much.

And finally, there was Project NATAL. All I can say is, WOW!(if
it actually works). From the demonstrations, it seems to be very
responsive (most notably the Breakout demo). If a developer/publisher
can create a compelling experience using this technology, this thing
can really take off. And Peter Molyneux’s MILO demo, while
eerily scary, was very impressive. I can imagine an adventure game
where we can interact (talk to, share with, fight besides) and travel
along side an on screen character, journeying through the dark ages, a
la Oblivion. If this does in fact come into fruition, I can see other
outlets and business types adopting this tech (automotive, television,
medicine, etc.). The future looks very bright for Microsoft and the
XBOX brand.

Comments (1)

Wud up?

Yep, I had low expectations too, yet I also had a lot of games that I
found interest in. Huge racer. So, seeing a release date on GT5 was
cool, thought someone slipped me something. Been waiting for that
title since I bought prologue. Maybe FFXIII, definitly on COD:Modern
Warfare2, hope the night vision goggles work well. For an RPG Dragon
Age may look promising, to me it just looks like a glorified Sacred
game, but with Bioware in the development team, hopefully it will be better.